Sheet-metal box.



G. KLENK.

' SHEET METAL BOX. APPLIGATION FILED AUG. 3; 1909.

59 554, Patented May 31, 1910.

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G: KLENK.

SHEET METAL BOX. I APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 3, 1909.

Patented May 31, 1910.

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APPLICATION FILED AUG. 3 1909. 1 959 55 Panented May 31, 1910.

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g vwewto'c WW-finance GOTTLIEB KLENK, 0F DEFIANCE, OI-IIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE DEFIANCE PBESSED STEEL COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

SHEET-METAL BOX.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GoT'rLIEB KLENK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Defiance, in the county of Defiance and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sheet-Metal Boxes, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to improvements in sheet metal boxes of the type set forth in the patent granted to me February 13, 1906, No. 813,976. In the patent referred to a box is shown which has been found to be admirably adapted to many of the conditions of use in shipping bottles. In actual practice, however, I have found that in the larger boxes the sheet metal sections forming the bottoms require, at the central parts or the parts remote from the side edges, firm support; and have also found that in certain places there should be projections, runners, or skid-like devices extending down from the bottoms, proper, in order to permit the structures to be properly supported upon the conveyers or carriers which are frequently used at the places where the boxes are supplied with bottles and are rapidly moved in large numbers from place to place. And the objects of the present invention are to meet the requirements in these respects.

Figure 1 is a side view of a box or package embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a top View. Fig. 3 is a bottom view. Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section. Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal section. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the box showing one of the ends, one of the sides and the bottom. Fig. 7 is a plan View of one of the wire frames which forms a part of the bottom structure of the box. Fig. 8 shows a view of the blank from which the strips 10 are formed, and above, an end view of one of the strips 10 after it has been formed into shape. Fig. 9 is a view of the blank from which one of the strips 10 is formed. Fig. 10 shows two views of one of the strips 10 corresponding to the two views of the strip 10 shown in Fig. 8.

The box is constructed with end walls 4, 4, the side walls 3, 3, and the flat bottom section 2. Each of these is formed of a single section of sheet metal. The side sections 8, 3, and end sections 4, 4, are at the corners of the box crimped to produce outwardly ex- Specifioation of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 3, 1909.

Patented May 31, 1910.

Serial No. 511,064.

tending flanges 15. These flanges reinforce the corners and at the same time prevent the sheet metal from being knocked out of shape.

The upper parts of the end walls and side walls are turned to form beads, as shown at 17, these beads extending outwardly from the planes of the wall sections and being of such dimensions as to be flush with the projections 15. The metal of the wall sections at the upper edges is extended inward from the bottom of the bead 17 and is then bent back on itself, or outward, again to form flanges 18. These greatly stiffen and strengthen the upper part of the box; and perfect rigidity is secured by fastening corner braces 20 to the flanges.

At the lower edges the side and end wall sections 3, 8 and 4, 4 are bent outward as shown at 6 and then inward as at 7 and out again as at 8. The bottom sheet 2 is at its outer edges crimped or bent in conjunction with the bottom parts of the wall sections, its edges forming parts of the outwardly extending flanges which, as entireties, are indicated at 14.

It will be seen that the bottom section 2 must either be the very lowermost part of the structure or must lie above some of the parts at its edges as, for instance, above some of the parts of the flanges 14. In either case disadvantages are incident to this bottom part. If it is at the very bottom it must take severe strain and pressure, as it comes in contact with the floor or ground below it, or with the body upon which the box is placed, and it is liable to be bent or forced upward, or indented. If, on the other hand, it lies somewhat above the lowest plane and above the crimps, beads or flanges, at its edges, such as the flanges at 14, this bottom section tends to sag or bend down and to be misshaped by the articles contained within the box and resting upon it. To overcome these difflculties, I divide the area of the bottom up into sub-areas and provide each of these with a bracing and reinforcin sup port, the braces and reinforces being all connected together in a single rigid system.

Rectangles are formed of bead wires 13, 13 13". These are secured in the position shown in the drawings by means of sheet metal strips 10, 10,-10 10 To the outer side part of the wire rectangle 13 one of the sheet strips 10 is fastened by forming a bead 12 at the inner edge of the strip which is curled around the outer side bar of the wire rectangle. The outer side bar of the rectangle 15 is secured to the other strip 10 by means of a bead. The outer edge parts of these strips 10 are crimped or bent into and form elements of the outside composite flanges 14: at the bottom corners of the sides of the box, each of these strips 10 having its extreme edge part turned backward upon itself and around the other edges of the sheet metal parts, as shown at 11.

The end bars of the several wire rectangles, at the ends, respectively, of the box, are secured to the sheet strips 10 Each of these is cut to have inwardly extending parts 10 each capable of forming a bead around the wire and with tongue parts 10 The outer edge parts of these sheet strips 10 are crimped or bent into the box flanges 1 1 at the ends of the box. The side parts of the wire rectangle 13 are rigidly connected to the outside reinforces 18 and 13 by means of sections 10 of sheet metal. These sheet sections are beaded along their edges, the beaded parts being curled around the neighboring side parts of the wire rectangles.

It will be understood that the bottom edges of each side section 3, the adjacent edge part of the flat bottom section 2 and the adjacent edge part of the reinforcing tie-strip 10, are all, at one operation, tightly crimped or bent to form one of the side seams or flanges at 14; and that, similarly, the bottom edge of one of the end walls 4:, the adjacent edge of the bottom 2, and the edge of the neighboring reinforcing tie-strip 10 are, at one operation, all bent or crimped to form one of the end flanges 1%. At the time that these four crimpings or bendings of the adjacent parts are effected to form the several parts of the flange 14:, the slack metal (both that in the flat bottom sheet 2 and that in the three bottom reinforces or braces) is taken up in such way that both the flat bottom and its supporting or reinforcing devices are stretched exceedingly taut. The rectangles and the beads of sheet metal around them have their bottom horizontal lines all in the same horizontal plane, that is, they are flush with each other at the bottom, so that they provide a true and firm support below the box, upon which the bottom sheet section 2 rests with security at numerous lines intermediate of its edges. The tongues 10 are bent to form spacing lugs which lie between one of the rectangles and the next, preventing the slipping laterally of the wires, which slipping, if allowed, will result in opening the beads and loosening the supporting devices. It will be understood that of the reinforcing elements, such as shown at 13, any suitable number can be used.

At certain times it is desirable to support boxes of this kind upon carriers or conveyers formed of parallel rollers. When the box is made in the way shown, the downwardly projecting reinforcing parts 13, 13 and 13 rest upon the top surfaces of the rollers, extending from the top surface of one of the latter to another, or across the tops of several upon which they rest. Such a box, therefore, will slide smoothly along these rollers without danger of any flanges or projections catching in the spaces between them.

Supporting and reinforcing devices of the sort herein shown are found superior to those heretofore used by me, which consisted of strips of sheet metal bent into trough-like shape and riveted to the undersides of the flat bottom 2, and also superior to those of another character which were formed by depressing parts of the bottom sheet to provide wide ribs or three-sided panels integral with the bottom sheet, somewhat as illustrated in Patent No. 851,097 granted to Alfred T. Kruse April 28, 1907. It will be further seen that boxes constructed in the way de scribed can be readily stacked one upon another. The outermost wires of the rectangles 13, 13 and 13 are situated some distance from the outermost edges of the flanges 1 1; and, therefore, the bottom flat surfaces of the flanges of one box can rest directly upon the top surface of the bead 17 of another box, and the bottom outer beading of the reinforcing elements 13, 13 and 13 will serve as stops to prevent the boxes from slipping laterally in relation to each other.

What I claim is 1. A metal box or package for bottles having the side walls and end walls formed of sheet metal sections, a bottom formed of a section of sheet metal having its edges crimped or bent with the lower edges of the side walls and end walls to form an outwardly extending horizontal flange, and a reinforcing support for the bottom comprising a series of two or more wire rectangles immediately below the bottom sheet, and reinforcing tie-strips of sheet metal having their outer edges crimped or bent into the aforesaid bottom flanges, and having their inner edge parts beaded around the wires of the reinforcing rectangles, substantially as set forth.

2. A metal box or package for bottles, having side walls and end walls formed of sections of sheet metal, a flat bottom formed of a section of sheet metal, the edges of the bottom and the lower edges of the side walls and end walls being c-rimped together to form a relatively wide outwardly projecting horizontal flange, and a reinforcing support for the bottom comprising a series of two or more wire rectangles having the side bars of the rectangles extending longitudinally of the box bottom, and sheet metal tie-strips beaded to the rectangle wires and crimped or bent into the aforesaid bottom flanges, and the inner adjacent wires of the rectangle supports being tied together by beaded sheet strips. substantially as set forth.

3. A metal box or package for bottles having side walls and end walls formed of sections of sheet metal, a bottom formed of a section of sheet metal having its edges crimped or bent together with the lower edges of the sides and ends, a series of two or more wire rectangle supports immediately below the bottom, and reinforcing tie-strings of sheet metal having their outer edge parts crimped or bent into and forming parts of two of the said outwardly extending bottom flanges and each having at their inner edges a series of beads engaging the end parts of all the wire rectangles of said series, and supplemental reinforcing tie-strips beaded to the outermost side wires of the rectangles and having their edges crimped in two of the said outwardly extending flanges, substantially as set forth.

4:. A metal box or package for bottles having sheet metal side walls and end walls, a bottom formed of a section of sheet metal having its edges crimped or bent together with the lower edges of the sides and ends to form outwardly extending flanges, and a reinforcing support for the bottom comprising a series of two or more wire rectangles immediately below the bottom, re-inforcing tie-strips of sheet metal beaded to the outer side Wires of the outermost rectangles, and crimped or bent into or forming parts of the said flanges, reinforcing tie-pieces of sheet metal beaded to the end parts of the said rectangles and crimped or bent to form parts of the aforesaid flanges, and stays or stops between each wire rectangle and the next to prevent lateral displacement, substantially as set forth.

5. The herein-described sheet metal box or package for bottles, it having side walls and end walls formed of separate sections of sheet metal crimped together at the vertical corners of the box, a flat bottom formed of a section of sheet metal, a reinforcing support upon which the lower surface of said bottom bears formed of wire rectangles, reinforcing sheet metal strips beaded around the outer wires of the rectangles, the bottom edge parts of said sides and ends the edge parts of the said flat bottom sheet and the edge parts of the said reinforcing strips be ing crimped or bent to form outwardly ex tending flanges at the bottom corners of the box, and sections of sheet metal beaded around and tying together the inner adjacent parts of the rectangle wires, substan tially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

GOTTLIEB KLENK.

Witnesses R. H. GLEAsoN, C. C. HOFFMAN. 

